How to Round in Excel

Complete guide to Excel rounding functions and formulas

Excel Rounding Functions Overview

Microsoft Excel provides several powerful functions for rounding numbers. Whether you need to round to whole numbers, decimals, or significant figures, Excel has built-in functions to handle every scenario. This comprehensive guide covers all Excel rounding functions with practical examples.

ROUND Function - Standard Rounding

Syntax

=ROUND(number, num_digits)

Description: Rounds a number to a specified number of digits using standard rounding rules (5 rounds up, below 5 rounds down).

Examples:

Formula	Result	Explanation
=ROUND(3.14159, 2)	3.14	Round to 2 decimals
=ROUND(12.567, 1)	12.6	Round to 1 decimal
=ROUND(123.456, 0)	123	Round to whole number
=ROUND(1234, -1)	1230	Round to nearest ten
=ROUND(1234, -2)	1200	Round to nearest hundred

💡 Pro Tip

Use negative num_digits to round to the left of the decimal point. -1 rounds to tens, -2 to hundreds, -3 to thousands.

ROUNDUP Function - Always Round Up

Syntax

=ROUNDUP(number, num_digits)

Description: Always rounds a number UP, away from zero, regardless of the digit value.

Examples:

Formula	Result	Explanation
=ROUNDUP(3.14, 1)	3.2	Rounds up even though 4 < 5
=ROUNDUP(12.01, 0)	13	Always rounds up
=ROUNDUP(-5.1, 0)	-6	Rounds away from zero

ROUNDDOWN Function - Always Round Down

Syntax

=ROUNDDOWN(number, num_digits)

Description: Always rounds a number DOWN, toward zero, regardless of the digit value.

Examples:

Formula	Result	Explanation
=ROUNDDOWN(3.99, 1)	3.9	Rounds down even though 9 ≥ 5
=ROUNDDOWN(12.99, 0)	12	Always rounds down
=ROUNDDOWN(-5.9, 0)	-5	Rounds toward zero

MROUND Function - Round to Multiple

Syntax

=MROUND(number, multiple)

Description: Rounds a number to the nearest multiple of a specified value. Useful for pricing, packaging quantities, and time intervals.

Examples:

Formula	Result	Explanation
=MROUND(23, 5)	25	Round to nearest multiple of 5
=MROUND(12.99, 0.05)	13.00	Round to nearest nickel
=MROUND(47, 15)	45	Round time to 15-minute intervals

CEILING & FLOOR Functions

CEILING - Round Up to Significance

=CEILING(number, significance)

Rounds UP to the nearest multiple of significance.

Formula	Result
=CEILING(23, 10)	30
=CEILING(4.01, 0.1)	4.1

FLOOR - Round Down to Significance

=FLOOR(number, significance)

Rounds DOWN to the nearest multiple of significance.

Formula	Result
=FLOOR(27, 10)	20
=FLOOR(4.99, 0.1)	4.9

Practical Excel Rounding Scenarios

1. Rounding Currency to Cents

Use =ROUND(A1, 2)

Example: =ROUND(12.567, 2) returns $12.57

2. Rounding Prices to $0.99

Use =CEILING(A1, 1) - 0.01

Example: =CEILING(12.34, 1) - 0.01 returns $12.99

3. Rounding to Nearest Quarter Hour

Use =MROUND(A1, 0.25) where time is in decimal hours

Example: 1.38 hours rounds to 1.50 (1 hour 30 minutes)

4. Rounding Inventory to Case Quantities

Use =CEILING(A1/12, 1)*12 for cases of 12

Example: 25 units rounds up to 36 (3 cases)

5. Rounding Sales Tax

Use =ROUND(A1*0.085, 2) for 8.5% tax

Example: $49.99 × 8.5% = $4.25 (rounded)

Quick Reference Chart

Function	When to Use	Example
ROUND	Standard rounding (5 rounds up)	=ROUND(3.5, 0) → 4
ROUNDUP	Always round up	=ROUNDUP(3.1, 0) → 4
ROUNDDOWN	Always round down	=ROUNDDOWN(3.9, 0) → 3
MROUND	Round to specific multiples	=MROUND(23, 5) → 25
CEILING	Round up to significance	=CEILING(23, 10) → 30
FLOOR	Round down to significance	=FLOOR(27, 10) → 20

✅ Best Practice

Always use Excel's rounding functions instead of formatting cells to display fewer decimals. Formatting only changes how numbers appear, not their actual values, which can cause calculation errors.